Each of the five types of conotoxins attacks a different target: 1  Î±-conotoxin attacks acetylcholine receptors at nerves and muscles. 2  Î´-conotoxin inhibits the inactivation of voltage-dependent sodium channels. 3  Îº-conotoxin inhibits potassium channels. 4  Î¼-conotoxin inhibits voltage-dependent sodium channels in muscles. Ï-conotoxin inhibits N-type voltage-dependent calcium channels. Because N-type voltage-dependent calcium channels are related to algesia (sensitivity to pain) in the nervous system, Ï-conotoxin has an analgesic effect: the effect of Ï-conotoxin M VII A is 100 to 1000 times that of morphine.
Master Sgt. Peter Andrew McKenna, a Green Beret, was killed in a Taliban attack at a US Special Forces base in Kabul, Afghanistan on Friday. Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, who met McKenna at the parade and presented him with the flag, called him a 'truly great citizen, soldier, person and patriot' in a tweet on Sunday.
News navigation. Green Mile star Michael Clarke Duncan dies at 54. Read more about sharing. Actor Michael Clarke Duncan, who rose to prominence playing a death row inmate in acclaimed film The Green Mile, has died at the age of 54. Duncan suffered a heart attack in July and died at a hospital in Los Angeles after failing to recover. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2000 for his portrayal as convicted murderer John Coffey alongside Tom Hanks in The Green Mile.